Recent Blog Posts
Multiple Foods Recalled for Possible Salmonella Contamination
A public health alert has been issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for products containing whey powder that might be contaminated with salmonella. The whey powder, which is a FDA-regulated product, has been recalled by the manufacturer, Associated Milk Producers, Inc. So far, four different food products have been recalled due to the salmonella concerns, and illnesses caused by these contaminated foods could bring about product liability lawsuits.
Whey Powder Usage
It is not uncommon for foods to contain whey powder. Whey is a milk by-product that is often used in powder form for its convenience. Whey powder is typically used to modify texture, thicken foods, and enhance the solubility and transportability of foods. Often, it is used in foods that have relatively long shelf lives, though that is one of the reasons the salmonella contamination is occurring in dry foods--salmonella has the ability to survive in dry environments.
Distracted Driving Causes Deadly Car Accidents
We are a society of multitasking--rarely do we ever focus on one thing at a time. Studies have shown that the human brain cannot actually multitask efficiently, meaning that even if you think you are paying attention to more than one thing at a time, you are not. This is why is it so dangerous for drivers to pay attention to anything other than the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving leads to more than 420,000 injuries and 3,100 deaths each year across the United States. It is important to realize that distracted driving causes car accidents and is something that can be easily prevented.
External and Internal Distractions
Distractions can be classified into many different categories, and one of them is based on whether or not the distraction is inside or outside the vehicle. Many people think that distractions only take place inside a vehicle, but many things outside a vehicle can also divert your attention. External distractions can include:
4 Recent Changes to Safety Standards for Infant Products
It seems as if every day we are hearing about another product that has been recalled due to the safety of the product and the person using it. When it comes to products manufactured for children, safety regulations are a bit more extensive, because babies and children cannot decide for themselves what products they use. According to Kids in Danger, a children’s safety organization, there were 93 children’s product recalls in 2017, a 22 percent increase from 2016. Though parents want the best and safest products for their children, they are often unaware of the dangers certain defective products can pose.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is the governing body that oversees product safety and recalls. Safety standards are measures created and put in place to ensure that products are safe and pose no hazards to consumers when used properly. Recently, new changes to safety standards were approved for four types of infant products:
The Four Types of Permanent Partial Disability Benefits in Illinois
The United States has taken actions toward making workplaces as safe as possible for employees, but there are unavoidable accidents that still occur. Sometimes, accidents result in serious injuries that affect a person’s ability to work or to continue doing the job they were doing prior to the injury. In these cases, the employee is usually eligible for some sort of workers’ compensation benefit which can help supplement the loss of wages that they might experience. If a person loses a part of their body or loses the function of that part of the body, they usually qualify for permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits.
Commission on Workers’ Compensation
The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission is the state agency that all workers’ compensation claims go through. The Commission helps employees and employers settle cases that involve a workplace injury or illness by acting as an impartial administrative court system. The Commission awards four types of PPD benefits:
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in the United States
Car accidents can come in many different shapes and forms, ranging from mild to serious in severity. When you are involved in a truck accident, it is often a critical situation, because trucks are so much bigger than the average car. Collisions involving tractor-trailer trucks can result in serious injuries to both the driver of the truck and to the drivers and passengers of other vehicles. Several departments and administrations monitor truck accidents and try to decrease the number of accidents that occur each year. The causes of these accidents are recorded and are used as tools to reduce the number of accidents.
Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck accidents are caused by many of the same things normal vehicle accidents are caused by--driver impairment, carelessness, and speeding. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) assigns codes to truck accident causes using three variables:
Common Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
When an elderly family member requires around-the-clock care, families may opt to put their loved ones in nursing homes so they can get the help that they need or might not get while living at home. Sadly, it has been estimated that anywhere from one to two million Americans over the age of 65 have been abused or mistreated by their caregivers. Elders are among the people who are least likely to report abuse, due to physical or mental limitations or fear of retaliation from their caregivers. Noticing signs of elder abuse or neglect can help save the life of your loved one.
Types of Nursing Home Abuse
There is more than one way an elderly person can be abused in a nursing home. People may think that physical abuse is the only form, but the elderly can and do suffer emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation.
Four Most Common Causes of Construction Worker Fatalities
When you think of dangerous workplaces, a construction site is probably one of the first things that comes to mind. By nature, construction is a hazardous profession. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reported that in 2016, one in five worker deaths were in the construction industry.
Construction’s “Fatal Four”
OSHA has defined four of the leading causes of worker deaths in the construction industry as the “fatal four.” These causes are:
- Falls, which caused 38.7 percent of deaths;
- Struck by object, which caused 9.4 percent;
- Electrocutions, which caused 8.3 percent; and
- Caught-in/between, which caused 7.3 percent.
These fatal four were responsible for more than half of construction-related worker deaths in 2016.
Determining Negligence in Car Accident Personal Injury Claims
When you get into a car accident, figuring out what to do next can be confusing. If you have been injured in a collision, you can file a personal injury claim to recover expenses related to medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. In order to file a claim, you must prove negligence, which consists of four elements: duty of care, breach of duty of care, causation, and damages.
1. Duty of Care
The first element you must prove in a car accident personal injury claim is the duty of care that the other driver had on the road. The duty of care is the agreement that every driver makes to operate their vehicle in a safe manner by obeying all traffic laws and other precautions used to protect drivers. Examples of duty of care include:
- Driving within the speed limit
FDA Warns Public of Dangers of Over-the-Counter Benzocaine Products
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a warning on May 23 that over-the-counter teething products containing benzocaine can cause harmful and potentially deadly side effects when used on children, especially those under two years of age. Benzocaine can be found in products such as Baby Orajel, which is commonly used on infants to soothe the pain of teething. If your child has been injured after using one of these types of products, it is important to understand your options for pursuing compensation through a product liability lawsuit.
Benzocaine Can Be Deadly to Children
The statement that the FDA published said that the use of benzocaine in products used on infants poses a serious risk to their health. Benzocaine can cause methemoglobinemia, a condition that causes dangerously low oxygen levels in the bloodstream. Symptoms of methemoglobinemia usually appear anywhere between 20 and 60 minutes after being given benzocaine and can include:
Common Causes of Medical Malpractice
One of the most important people in this world that you should be able to trust is your doctor--they often hold your life and well-being in their hands. Though doctors are held to a high standard, they are people too, and they can make mistakes, but they must be held accountable for any malpractice they commit.
What Is Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice occurs when a doctor, hospital, or healthcare provider causes injury to a patient through negligence or breaching the “standard of care.” To legally be considered medical malpractice, a case must consist of three elements:
- A violation of the standard of care: When treating a patient, a doctor should follow certain medical standards that are recognized by doctors as being acceptable treatments under similar circumstances. This is considered the standard of care. Patients have the right to expect that their doctors will uphold this standard of care and will be consistent with the standards. If the standard of care has not been met, it can be considered an act of negligence.
